SOCAL ART SCENE—ONE CELEBRATORY, THE OTHER PUZZLING PART 2

YESTERDAY, SHEPARD FAIREY’S ART at the Glendale Central Library was celebrated here at SimanaitisSays. Today in Part 2, Voice of America reports an art puzzle, also occurring in SoCal. 

Where’s Mao? Mo Yu reports in Voice of America, March 31, 2024, “Warhol Portrait of Mao Goes Missing, College Seeks Return ‘No Questions Asked.’ “

“Two weeks ago,” writes Mo Yu, “Orange Coast College discovered that one of Warhol’s signed silkscreen prints of Mao was missing from its vault. The portrait has an estimated value of $50,000.”

A Reuters file photo of a set of paper screenprints of Mao Zedong by Andy Warhol. Image from VoA.

Little Red Book. “From 1972-73,” VoA describes, “Warhol used the image of Mao from the Little Red Book, widely circulated in China, as a template to create 199 richly colored Mao silkscreen works in five series.”

The Little Red Book has made an appearance here at SimanaitisSays, albeit in a different guise.

Mo Yu continues, “Doug Bennett, executive director for college advancement at Orange Coast College, told VoA’s Mandarin Service that the print was purchased by a person close to the school from a gallery in Laguna Beach, California, in 1974 and donated to the school anonymously in September 2020.”

The print resided in an OCC vault until discovered missing on March 13, 2024. The Costa Mesa Police Department was summoned, with two detectives now on the case. 

“Police and the school,” Mo Yu writes, “are appealing for anyone with information to come forward…. Bennett said he hopes someone just took the print by mistake, adding that the college wouldn’t ask questions if it was returned.”

Given its temporary residence in the OCC vault, Bennett said, “”Someone perhaps took it and put it in their office or put it in their home and thought it was OK to do. Or maybe it was misplaced, but I don’t think it was like a ring of art thieves that stole it.”

I check VoA each morning; maybe there’ll be an update. In the meantime, Daughter Suz’s catalog has equally colorful—and at times just as controversial—examples of Shepard Fairey art to enjoy. And folks nearby have until April 14, 2024, to enjoy the Glendale Central Library exhibit of his works. ds

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2024